The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

African American & Black

Beyond Innocence by Phoebe Zerwick

, , , , , ,
Beyond Innocence : The Life Sentence of Darryl Hunt by Phoebe Zerwick
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Once upon a time, a man was unjustly imprisoned. DNA and dogged work freed him after 19 years. He lived happily ever after. Sorry, that last part didn’t happen. Even with DNA evidence, he almost didn’t get exonerated. Beyond Innocence: The Life Sentence of Darryl Hunt details Hunt’s journey from teen to convicted killer, innocent freed man, and activist with many twists. But the saddest part is what happened to him after freedom, and how it illustrates the plight of most of the exonerated. That is not as exclusive a club as you might think. According to author Phoebe Zerwick, “As of May 2021, 2,783 men and women in America have been exonerated since 1989…The National Registry of Exonerations calculate the combined years they lost at 24,915.”

Zerwick wrote about Hunt in the Winston-Salem Journal and has spent years on his case. Hunt was not just railroaded. Police falsified evidence; a judge unbelievably ruled DNA evidence was insufficient to warrant a new trial. A faithful cadre of supporters and the author’s newspaper series resulted in deliberately overlooked evidence being reexamined and finding the true killer. Only then was Hunt released. But Hunt’s case shows how the system continues to fail. Hunt briefly had a foundation to aid released prisoners. Years of prison life and post-release limitations lead to PTSD, depression, and often recidivism. Hunt’s friends realized too late he was leading a double life – calm outside, but in agony inside. They couldn’t stop him from taking his life. But if enough people pay attention to his story, perhaps others can be helped.

Beyond Innocence : The Life Sentence of Darryl Hunt by Phoebe Zerwick, (List Price: $27, Atlantic Monthly Press, 9780802159373,  March 2022)

Reviewed by Rosemary Pugliese from Malaprop’s in Asheville, NC

Beyond Innocence by Phoebe Zerwick Read More »

Black Cloud Rising by David Wright Falade

, , , ,
Black Cloud Rising by David Wright Falade
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

I’ve never before encountered a novel to plunge me into the heart of the Civil War like this. As the War still rages, a Black Union Brigade is formed of recently freed slaves. Dick, semi-acknowledged son of a slave and her master, is an honest and eloquent observer of slave-master relations. Now he fights for Gen. Edward Wild, leading the hunt for rebel fighters as he steels himself to clash with his former master. I felt all of Dick’s emotional journey as he progressed from slave to wartime leader and beyond. The Outer Banks setting for much of the action is beautifully portrayed.

Black Cloud Rising by David Wright Falade, (List Price: $27.00, Grove Press, 9780802159199, February 2022)

Reviewed by Rosemary Pugliese, Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville, North Carolina



Black Cloud Rising by David Wright Falade Read More »

Bird Brother by Rodney Stotts

, , , , , ,
Bird Brother by Rodney Stotts
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Bird Brother is the fascinating journey of Rodney Stotts from growing up in the projects of Southeast DC to becoming a conservationist. inner-city youth mentor, and one of the few Black master falconers in the U.S. The book is written in a conversational style, and though reading his history can be emotional/difficult at times, it’s easy to see that his love for nature is the reason that he’s alive today. He’s also very honest about his mistakes, his perseverance in avian education/rehabilitation, and the obstacles that he overcame with the help of his friends & family. Most importantly, he champions the responsibility that we humans have as caretakers of the nature/wildlife around us… and in his own words, to serve something bigger than ourselves.

Bird Brother by Rodney Stotts, (List Price: $26.00, Island Press, 9781642831740, February 2022)

Reviewed by Stuart McCommon, Novel. in Memphis, Tennessee


Bird Brother by Rodney Stotts Read More »

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

, , ,
The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

What would you do if you lost something you loved so much, it felt like an inextricable part of your being? This is the predicament Ray Mcmillian finds himself in after his beloved violin inexplicably disappears from his hotel room in New York. The mystery of the missing fiddle creates an international frenzy as everyone wants to know: who stole the violin, and where is it now? For Ray, though, this is about more than just a stolen instrument. This is about his livelihood, and the adversity he had to face to become one of the most renowned violinists in the country. While the theft is the backbone of the novel, moving the story forward, this is truly a story about what a young black man was forced to endure to be allowed to harness his gift. I have never read another book that could so expertly bring attention to the beauty of a subject while also showing the dark underbelly of the racism that runs rampant underneath. Whether it be a violin solo, an unjustified police search, or just a brunch with a loved one, I found Ray’s life to be richly detailed and an important window into the realities of black musicians in the classical music sector today. If you want a contemporary fiction read with themes of social justice, mystery, and unforgettably the power of music, pick up this debut.

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb, (List Price: $28, Anchor, 9780593315415,  February 2022)

Reviewed by Emma June Wood, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb Read More »

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

, , , , ,
The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

There are so many captivating things about this novel…the insight the reader gets as to what it takes to be a classical musician, the background on the history of violins (and one violin in particular) and how they’re made, the main character’s determination in the face of struggle, family dynamics and expectations, racial issues that rear their ugly heads, and a mysterious theft of a priceless instrument…I could go on and on. Put all this together, and you get a beautiful story about a boy who loved his grandmother more than anyone in the world…one who persevered to become a classical violinist and prove to everyone that he could do it. Brendan Slocumb effortlessly keeps his story flowing, leaving the reader rooting for Ray McMillian while trying to put the pieces of the theft together. Such a great read!

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb, (List Price: $28.00, Anchor, 9780593315415, February 2022)

Reviewed by Mary Patterson from The Little Bookshop in Midlothian, Virginia


The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb Read More »

The Love You Save by Goldie Taylor

, , , , ,
The Love You Save by Goldie Taylor
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

The Love You Save is powerful, heartbreaking memoir that will capture your heart from the first chapter. Journalist and activist Goldie Taylor shares painful childhood memories of trauma and family strife against the backdrop of strength and hope she found as a highly gifted student reading books by authors like James Baldwin. Readers who enjoy heavy-hitting memoirs like Educated and Memorial Drive will appreciate Taylor’s honest and poetic prose in this must-read memoir–but have the tissues ready!

The Love You Save by Goldie Taylor, (List Price: $28.99, Hanover Square Press, 9781335449375, January 2023)

Reviewed by Beth Seufer Buss, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

The Love You Save by Goldie Taylor Read More »

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

, , , ,
The Violin Conspiracy
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

The Violin Conspiracy is listed as a mystery and while the theft of a ten-million-dollar violin is at the heart of the book, the story is so much more than the theft and who stole it. It is about music and how someone who is a true musician can forget the terrible things around him and just live for the music. It is a story about the violin itself and what it meant to an enslaved boy who was subjected to horrors we can’t imagine. And most of all it is the story of Ray and how his grandmother, his violin, his mentor, and those few who believed a young Black boy could become a famous classical violinist helped him to become the man and the musician he came to be. I know absolutely nothing about classical music, and there was a lot that went over my head, but this was written in such a way I was moved by Ray’s dedication and how much music meant to him. This should be read by every aspiring musician, especially those who have experienced prejudice as Ray did. It is a lesson in how to transcend slights and injustice and become the best person you can be.

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb, (List Price: $28.00, 9780593315415, February 2022)

Reviewed by Nancy McFarlane, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb Read More »

Admissions by Kendra James

, , , ,
Admissions
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

I’ve loved books about boarding schools since I was a child who romanticized the idea of living away from home with a school full of friends, but as I’ve grown older I’ve become much more interested in what’s hiding beneath the polished surface image of boarding schools. Kendra James was the first Black American legacy student at Taft, a private boarding school in Connecticut, so her perspective on privilege (including her own) was totally fascinating in its layers. I so appreciated the thoughtful and deeply candid telling of her experience at Taft.

Admissions by Kendra James, (List Price: $29.00, Grand Central Publishing, 9781538753484, January 2022)

Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Admissions by Kendra James Read More »

The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson, Rafael López

, , ,
The Year We Learned to Fly
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

When the world is too boring or too hard or too angry for them, a brother and sister are reminded by their very wise grandmother that somewhere in the world somebody else felt the same way. This stunningly illustrated (by Rafael López) masterpiece from Jacqueline Woodson, former Ambassador for Children’s Literature, highlights the power of the imagination and encourages young readers to believe in something, leave troubles behind, and imagine a better world.

The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson, Rafael López, (List Price: $18.99, Nancy Paulsen Books, 9780399545535, January 2022)

Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina

The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson, Rafael López Read More »

This Boy We Made by Taylor Harris

, , , , ,
This Boy We Made
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

This Boy We Made is heart-wrenching. I couldn’t put it down. As a mother I was absolutely enveloped in the author’s journey through this incredibly difficult time in her life. At every turn I was in awe of her grace in dealing with what life continued to throw at her.

This Boy We Made by Taylor Harris, (List Price: $26.00, Catapult, 9781948226844, January 2022)

Reviewed by Rayna Nielsen, Blue Cypress Books in New Orleans, Louisiana

This Boy We Made by Taylor Harris Read More »

Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds, Jason Griffin (Illustrator)

, , ,
Ain't Burned All the Bright
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

A beautiful and unconventional book capturing what the year 2020 felt like to the youngest child of a fictional Black American family, told in three long sentences and a notebook’s worth of art. Haunting and gorgeous, the unnamed narrator’s observations speak powerfully to a wide range of emotions, from the despair felt watching the world crumble and seeing the country’s betrayal of its Black citizens, to the balm that family connections can provide in the darkest times.

Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds, Jason Griffin (Illustrator) (List Price: $19.99, Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 9781534439467, January 2022)

Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds, Jason Griffin (Illustrator) Read More »

My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson

, ,
My Monticello
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

A black professor uses his own son in a study comparing him to ACMs (American Caucasian Males) in “Control Negro.” A single mother lists what to do when “Buying a House Ahead of the Apocalypse.” A young woman changes herself in an attempt to leave behind her past. An immigrant widowed father finds himself distanced from his children. And, a group of Charlottesville neighbors flee white suprematists seeking refuge in Jefferson’s historic plantation home. Each story examines what happens when “home” is not very hospitable. This collection—the characters and the writing will stay with me. An emotional and brilliant must read.

My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson, (List Price: $26.99, Henry Holt and Co., 9781250807151, October 2021)

Reviewed by Kelley Barnes, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina

My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson Read More »

The People Remember by Ibi Zoboi

, , ,
The People Remember
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Poignant. Relevant. Hopeful.

The People Remember by Ibi Zoboi, (List Price: $19.99, Balzer + Bray, 9780062915641, September 2021)

Reviewed by Jilleen Moore, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

The People Remember by Ibi Zoboi Read More »

Refractive Africa by Will Alexander

, , ,
Refractive Africa
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

These odes to African intellectuals by Will Alexander are so rich in imagery and sound that every line has something you’ve never read before. I’m not kidding! Refractive Africa is of the highest caliber of poetry on offer in these times.

Refractive Africa by Will Alexander, (List Price: $16.95, New Directions, 9780811230278, November 2021)

Reviewed by Conor Hultman, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

Refractive Africa by Will Alexander Read More »

The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones

, , ,
The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

The 1619 Project from Nikole Hannah-Jones asserts that to truly understand America today – politically, socially, culturally- and to begin to make repairs, you must move the timeline back to 1619, when the first enslaved people from Africa arrived in Jamestown. In this book – which is 50% more material than the original New York Times project – we hear from all the people who should have been included when initially taught American history and social studies. Herein lies a star-studded collection of thinkers, writers, poets and artists and an attempt to fully understand America’s origin story. Required reading for all who care to create a more just America.

The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones, (List Price: $38.00, One World, 9780593230572, November 2021)

Reviewed by Jamie Fiocco, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina


The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones Read More »

Scroll to Top